The Ghost Like Me
by GhostWandering
Summary: Prince Phantom has spent his whole life in the Ghost Zone, trying to be the perfect heir. However, he's always longed for a taste of something else. Daniel Fenton has always dismissed his parents' weird obsession with the paranormal, but occasionally wonders if there's something to it. A retelling of The Prince and the Pauper. Includes hints of Pitch Pearl (Fenton x Phantom)
1. Chapter 1: Phantom

Phantom yawned, staring out the castle window at the green and purple swirls beyond. The young ghost was bored. Not that that was an uncommon state of affairs. Being prince of the entire dimension had perks, to be sure, but most of the time, it was dull as could be. "Remind me again why I care about this… whatever Father is hosting this time?"

"It's a dinner party, m'lord. And you care because it's in honor of your sister's coming of age. Remember?" The attendant informed him, selecting several different outfits from a wardrobe, and laying them on a table in the center of the room. "Now. If it pleases m'lord, you simply must come get fitted for these."

The white haired boy rolled his eyes. "If it pleases m'lord. Begging your pardon, m'lord. With your leave, m'lord." he muttered under his breath, mocking the attendant, and most of the other ghosts in the castle. Generally, he liked the others, but the constant attention got on his nerves. He sometimes wondered what life would be like if he hadn't been born as the son of Pariah. Or if he was a little more like Sprite. Somehow, his little sister got away with everything: stealing food, sneaking out of the castle, traipsing all over the Ghost Zone, pulling pranks on unsuspecting spectres. She even claimed that she'd traveled into the human dimension once, and that she'd looked different there. Phantom had some doubts about that, but then again… Her eyes did turn blue once in a while now, and she'd acquired the odd habit of calling herself "Danielle". She must have gotten the bizarre name from somewhere. He'd mean to ask the Ghostwriter about it, but hadn't gotten that far. Besides, the man still despised him for that little hunting accident. The prince was very unwelcome in the library now. Sprite, on the other hand, the scribe welcomed with open arms.

"I still don't get why I've gotta go." he said as the attendant began wrapping a measuring tape around his waist. "Sprite's probably not even going to be there. And Father's not even going to punish her for it. She never gets in trouble for anything. So why does it matter if I'm in attendance?"

"You are the heir to the kingdom, m'lord. The people must see that you are prepared to take your father's place, when he is no longer fit to rule. This gathering may be in honor of Lady Sprite, but it is equally about presenting yourself to your subjects. Now, if you would raise your arms…?"

Phantom sighed as he lifted his hands above his head, bracing himself for the tedium of the fitting. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Danny Phantom and all related characters and ideas belong to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction, and all resemblance to real persons, living or dead or somewhere in between, is purely coincidental.


	2. Chapter 2: Daniel

The boy moaned as he dumped his backpack on the floor and faceplanted into his bed. Once again, school had sucked. Sam and Tucker were fighting again, over some vegetarian thing or something. Lancer had assigned an entire book to be read by next week. And worst of all, Dash had picked today to start his new "Adopt a nerd" campaign. Which mostly involved singling out Danny for as many swirlies and locker shoves as possible. Basically, everything sucked.

He rolled over, to stare at the ceiling, taking a few minutes to just do nothing. The reverie was broken only by the growl of his stomach. With a sigh, Daniel Fenton sat back up and started to make his way towards the kitchen. Dinner was hours away, assuming someone actually remembered to cook tonight, and he would starve if he had to wait that long.

To his disappointment, however, the fridge was almost barren. He grabbed a container from near the back, frowning at it. It might have held leftovers, once; anymore, it was a brown and green sludge. And it was probably just a trick of the light, but Danny could have sworn it was... glowing. He pitched it in the general direction of the garbage can, a look of disgust on his face. Nothing else looked particularly edible either.

The pantry wasn't much better. Stale cereal, canned beans, a box of mac and cheese that he didn't know how to cook... nothing that the teenager wanted or could eat. It was a bit weird, honestly. His mom was normally really good about having plenty of food and cooking big meals and all of that. But she'd been working with Dad on some secret project in the basement for the past week, and everything else seemed to have slipped her mind. Jazz didn't even know what they were doing. All they knew was that their parents were making a whole lot of noise downstairs, and apparently didn't have time to be parents because of it.

Right now, though, it was quiet. No whirrs or clangs or booms from the forbidden level of the house. Danny chewed on his lip for a second, considering. Maybe that meant they had finished whatever they were working on. Besides, he hadn't seen his parents leave the basement for more than five minutes in the last five days. They had to be down there. And he needed something to eat. Glancing behind him once, he pushed open the door, and started down the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Danny Phantom and all related characters and ideas belong to their respective owners. This is a work of fiction, and all resemblance to real persons, living or dead or somewhere in between, is purely coincidental.


End file.
